Penngrove is a very small place (population 2,500). It’s also my hometown. I’ve had my fingers crossed that someone would ask me to photograph a wedding or reception in Penngrove, and my dream came true one Saturday in October. Family and close friends watched from quilt-covered hay bales as Renee and Nick were married in a small ceremony in her grandfather’s verdant Cotati backyard. The bride and groom left for a ride in their vintage Volkswagen and I headed to the reception, held at the Penngrove Clubhouse.

If you’ve followed my blog for a long time, you’ll know that I tend to focus more on the moments and people than on the wedding details. But when I got to the Penngrove Social Firemen’s Clubhouse, where the reception was to be held, the decor took my breath away. Maybe it’s because I grew up coming to Italian dinners and social events here, and had never seen it so transformed. It was a photographer’s dream. Adorn Affair did a tremendous job, from the potluck-style dessert table to the polaroid portrait room.

I took the photograph above during a quick sunset escape to downtown Penngrove for some wedding portraits – we thought we were away from the wedding crowd until some friends of the bride and groom popped out of Mack’s Bar and Grill to say hello. There are some more photos in the slideshow below – please click through if you’d like to order a print, and thanks for stopping by! And thanks to Barb at Mockingbird Heights Salon for her beautiful work.